His day has finally arrived, and you stand before the gathered crowd at the reception to give a memorable best man speech. You know the bride, and she looks radiant. Your parents are holding their breath, waiting to hear their son give a speech to sum up the whole occasion – but are you ready?

Writing a best man speech for your older brother takes some more consideration than others, as there is no one on the planet of whom you have more stories, anecdotes, and yes, embarrassing takes. But it’s time to pause and take stock. You don’t want to say just anything – you want to draw from experience, and speak from the heart. Take a moment and read on about how to write a best man speech for your older brother.

Edit Yourself Carefully

When we become nervous, we tend to vocalize what sounds like a good thought without carefully thinking it through. What you don’t want to happen is to share the details about some of the seedier or more embarrassing adventures you have shared with your older brother. Look over your rough notes and edit anything that might be taken the wrong way. If there was a wild weekend in Cozumel, leave it between the two of you.

You may wish to insert some things your brother shared with you concerning his new bride. Review your conversations and pull anything and toss it should it speak in a questioning or negative tone. Couples who begin dating come across rough patches at times, and if your older brother shared any of these with you, forget them. People change over time, and sharing doubts and negative observations, even in a light hearted manner, will fall flat. The wedding is a time for good memories, and that is what you are there to provide.

Be Prepared

After penning your best man speech, sit down with your older brother and his bride and go over it. Practice it in front of them so they know the tone you are shooting for. From their feedback, you will be able to identify any questionable statements and make the proper adjustments long before you take the spotlight at the reception. Be critical, and let your brother be critical as well. The wedding is about him and his wife, after all, and aiming for a funny event that might not sound so funny to the audience is definitely something to avoid.

Keep these tips in mind and you’ll bring down the house

The reception speech can be your crowning achievement, or your most embarrassing moment ever. You will help set the mood for the evening, and with a well delivered oration, you can kick the party into overdrive. There are many elements to consider, and inserting humor is a great way to make a statement. Below are the top 5 factors for a funny best man speech, and taking each into consideration will help you give a memorable performance.

1. Make it Witty

When writing the speech, brainstorm clever observations and anecdotes that highlight the happy couple. Don’t chose stories that might place them in a bad light, but things that are warm and supportive. Slight ribbing is allowed, but whatever you do, stay away from the dark side. Saying something mean just to gain a laugh is a sure way of severing your ties with the couple for life. Consider what will bring a good hearted laugh, and ask yourself if your audience will ‘get’ your joke. It may be brilliant, but if it goes over the crowd’s head, you’ll have a silent room.

2. With Timing, Practice Makes Perfect

A funny best man speech is just like telling a good joke. Not only should you consider what words to use, but how they are delivered. Take a pause after a witty comment to let it sink in with your audience. Don’t rush through a story just to get to the punch line. Every few sentences take a pause. Let the crowd follow along and enjoy the tale.

3. Keep it Non Offensive

Just as you don’t want to say something mean, you do not want to be offensive to the other guests. Your joke may sound harmless, but before delivering it, consider if anyone might find it in bad taste. Stay away from religious subjects, sexual innuendo, or drug references. Keep a close eye on political topics, as well as gender roles. Be sensitive, and you’ll do well.

4. Eye Contact

Your best man speech is being delivered for the audience’s entertainment, not simply to be told. Make eye contact with people in the room, holding their gaze for a few seconds before moving onto the next. This technique draws them into your speech so that they are participants as well as an audience.

5. Confidence

You are the best man for a very good reason – you are the subject matter expert. Remember this to help build your confidence. This is your moment to shine, and the more presence you command with your audience, the better your chances are for delivering a funny best man speech.

Keeping an eye on the clock to keep the evening going

It may well be your first time giving a best man speech, or perhaps you’ve done it before. No matter your experience, it’s important to rein back your desire to tell everything, and just as important to say more than a few simple words. Your best man speech length should be appropriate for the occasion, and as there will be others following in your footsteps, it is advisable to keep the speech at somewhere around the 5 minute mark. It may sound short, but for others, it can be an eternity. Within that timeframe you will need to craft a well-thought out speech that keeps the audience engaged without losing their attention.

Adding to Your Best Man Speech Length

If five minutes sounds too long, think again. As the resident expert on the groom and bride, you have plenty of stories to recall helping illustrate the happy occasion. Start by jotting down a few ideas, and choose the ones that seem the most appropriate. Order them by when they took place, or how important each was. Begin to flesh out the details as if you were writing a narrative paper form back in English class and practice reading it out loud. You’ll know when you’ve got it down, then simply read from the prepared speech (you can get some great speech examples here that will make creating your speech super easy) when your moment comes.

Limiting the Duration of your Best Man Speech

On the other hand, your five minutes in the spotlight might seem a bit too short. You have years of stories to tell, perhaps several that you’ve already promised to share when your time came. But, it’s important to remember the focus of the evening is on the happy couple. Your audience will be a mix of your friends, parents, and guests that have little connection to many of the tales you wish to spin. To keep your time manageable, choose only the most important stories and stick to those. Practice giving your speech in front of the mirror and keep a timer on yourself. If you find your speech is longer than the time allotted, simply start to edit away the extras. Keeping it short and sweet, and around that five minute mark, will prove to help build a better speech and ensure a more memorable performance.

Tips for nailing the perfect memorable speech

The last thing you want to do is lose focus when you write a best man speech. Keeping your wits about you and remembering the best man speech advice you’ve learned will go a long way in adding to a memorable evening. Take your time work at the issue at hand – entertaining the crowd.

Make it Meaningful

Your speech should first of all be meaningful for the bride and groom, as well as the guests in attendance. Should you ramble on about something that has no bearing on the occasion will simply relegate your speech to the realm of the forgotten. This day is for the happy couple, and your speech should reflect that. Use happy memories about their meeting, or events that you shared with them that showcases their love.

You may be addressing the wedded couple directly from their table, but don’t forget about the audience in the room. Your speech is written to be shared by all, and if great aunt Gladys can’t hear you, you’ve lost your hold on the crowd. Face the audience while looking aside to the bride and groom. Make eye contact during your speech with different guests and speak so they can hear you, no matter where they are.

The last thing you want to be is vague and misunderstood, so be sure to use appropriate and relatable quotes for the occasion. Remember that that not everyone in the room shares your passion for obscure trivia, so choose quotes that most people would get no matter their interests. Because everyone is at the wedding, you might consider something from the experiences of the bride and groom.

Should you use jokes in your best man speech?

Toastmasters will recommend a joke in most public speaking engagements, but when it comes to weddings, it’s a bit of a murky subject. As far as best man speech tips are concerned, you’ll need to reflect on a few things. First, you need to know your audience and how they will react. Second, you should be someone with experience in telling a good joke. Lastly, ask yourself why you would be telling the joke. Consider these factors carefully before making your decision.

Weighing Best Man Speech Jokes for the Audience

There’s a time and a place for everything and that goes double for telling best man speech jokes. If you know most of the people in attendance, you probably have a good gauge of their sense of humor and what might be appropriate. Do your research and find something non offensive and short, preferably something that relates to the occasion. On the other hand, if you know only a handful of guests or in a worst case scenario just the groom and bride, you will want to stay away from anything even hinting at questionable humor. In this case, it’s wise to cut straight to the chase and skip the jokes.

In the case where you don’t have much experience saying anything in front of a crowd of people, especially jokes, you may want to reconsider. A good joke relies not as much on the punch line as how it is delivered. Timing, stresses, and reacting to the audience all go into a well told joke. Not having the confidence to deliver these elements will only leave an uncomfortable silence in the room. If however you feel you have mastered the art of public humor and have an appropriate joke, feel free to write it in to your speech.

Why Are You Telling Best Man Speech Jokes?

Always remember that the best man speech is about the bride and groom and not about you. You are not the focal point of the evening, so if your decision to tell a joke highlights your attributes but has nothing to do with the occasion, leave them out. The humor in your best man speech should be toward the goal of celebrating the event, not to show how witty and funny you are. Take your time in this case and decide what the priorities are. You might like to also read our article about How To Give A Memorable Best Man Speech here.

This is your opportunity to wow the crowd with a well presented speech.

Tips to entertain as well as inspire

It is a moment that only comes along once in a lifetime, where your closest friend pops the question – ‘Will you be my best man?’ Of course you are going to say yes, but once the euphoria passes the realization strikes. How to give a memorable best man speech? Your audience will be a mix of family members you’ve never met, long lost friends, and a bevy of bridesmaids waiting to be impressed. This is no time to panic, but instead, an opportunity to wow the crowd with a well presented speech.

Giving a Memorable Best Man Speech

Your first duty is to dedicate yourself to the task. A memorable best man speech is natural and well constructed at the same time. The last thing you want to do is ‘wing it’ even if you feel you work best in tight spaces. Start by jotting down a few key stories about your history with the groom and choose only one that best illustrates the qualities of your friendship. If you ramble off the track to other stories, you will lose the audience and they will simply begin to wait politely until you are done. Once you have the story, write it down with plenty of relevant detail, then fill in the edges with points about the happy day itself. Transfer this completed speech to a set of index cards and keep them safe. Do not deviate from your script, or you might find yourself in trouble.

You may know a few people in the room besides the groom who would enjoy a good buddy story, but there are plenty more who won’t have a clue or a care in the world. Your speech is designed to add personality to the festivities, and planning a speech that only talks about you and the groom will fall flat. Look for ways to include the bride in your presentation even if she was not there in your story. You can direct specific points of your speech toward her, as if giving advice of reassuring her of the groom’s dedication and love. You can take the tone of a funny best man speech, but sometimes the most memorable are those that speak from the heart.

Keep Yourself Composed

In order to give a heartfelt best man speech, make sure you are in a condition to do so. Your speech will take place toward the beginning of the celebration, so don’t over imbibe with the alcoholic libations. You will want to have a clear head while presenting your memorable best man speech. To combat distractions and a loss of train of thought, have a glass of water handy to drink from. Taking occasional sips will keep a dry mouth at bay, and give you time to collect your thoughts before moving on.

You’ve been understandably anxious with ‘best man speech nerves’ and as the day closes in, the fears start to compound. What if no one can hear you? What if they laugh at you? What if they hate you? The pressures are real but there are some simple things you can do to calm yourself down and be prepared. You don’t need to enroll in an emergency Toastmasters class, or down more than a few shots of vodka before show time to calm your nerves. All you need to do is understand that you are surrounded by friends and loved ones and everyone wants to hear your speech and for you to do your best.

Best Man Speech Advice

Your speech is coming from the heart, and as the best man, you are the resident expert on the subject at hand – the groom and his new bride. Remembering this brings confidence to your voice and overall performance. Before it’s your time in the spotlight, take a few moments and remember the events that led you here. You were chosen by your best friend and his new wife to stand beside them and to share a speech that will entertain the attendees. This is your calling, and understanding this will help calm your nerves to a great degree.

Combating Best Man Speech Fear

Best man speech fear occurs when you begin to stress over your performance. There are many specific causes, but most times it is simply a fear of judgment. A fear that you will stall and be facing the silence of a silent room. To overcome this issue, write your speech down on a series of note cards. Once you get going, you will be able to remember most of it and speak without looking, but having them handy will add to your confidence. Once you get stuck, simply read from what you have prepared.

Another great way to calm your best man speech nerves is to visualize the room before you stand up to speak. Know where the people who care about you are sitting, and use them as anchor points for your eyes while speaking. No one expects you to be an expert at public speeches, so by looking out to a crowd and your friends in particular, you will have greater confidence and give your speech an air that sounds as if you are talking to an old friend.

Remember that not only are your buddies in the audience, but so is the bride’s ninety year old grandmother!

Stay away from making a fool of the groom and yourself

Wedding organizers and disc jockeys know to schedule the best man’s performance as early in the evening as possible for one very good reason: to limit the possibility for the speech to be influenced by the flow of alcohol. The most significant best man speech advice anyone can give you is to be sober when your moment arrives. This way, your internal editing functions are still intact and you’ll run less of a risk of embarrassing not only yourself, but the bride and groom as well.

Best Man Speech Tips

The urge to entertain a crowd of friends and semi-strangers can be an overwhelming prospect, so you’ll want to take the mike with a set of note cards in hand. If you stray from your notes and outline, you could well be heading into dangerous waters. Remember that not only are your buddies in the audience, but so is the brides ninety year old grandmother with a heart condition. If you start telling that story about when you and the groom were in Tijuana back in college, you could be responsible for causing and old woman to have a heart attack.

Topics to Avoid at All Costs

The most important best man speech tips to pay attention to are the ones that explicitly recommend you not bring up certain topics. You may feel it is your responsibility to warm up the crowd, but it it’s not. Your job is to recount a heartwarming anecdote about how the bride had changed your best friend’s life for the better and how she is his perfect one. The last topic you want to breach, even in comparison, is the list of ex-girlfriends, even in comparison. If you do, you can bet your best friend will be hearing about your speech for a long time to come, and not in a good way.

Everyone knows that boys will be boys, and in the course of growing up some may have done a few stupid things that are best left to grow mold in the history books. If they were illegal, your silence is even more appreciated. Those moments of poor decision should not be fodder for your best man speech.

Keeping these gems of best man speech advice in the back of your head will save you and the wedding party a great deal of grief in the years to follow.

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Greatest Best Man Speeches is your one stop destination for all things related to best man speeches. Giving your Best Man’s Speech at the wedding of someone special to you is a big responsibility and a huge honor. It is a once in a lifetime moment and our aim is to help you make it a MEMORABLE once in a lifetime moment.
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